


unspoken yet not unheard

by lilithiumwords



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Purring, Romance, Summer of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 15:05:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16642517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilithiumwords/pseuds/lilithiumwords
Summary: Omegas purr when they are content. Yuuri purrs all the time, and Viktor has to figure out why.





	unspoken yet not unheard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eroska](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eroska/gifts).



> For eroska, who requested: _It's omegaverse, Yuuri is an omega who purrs all the time, when angry, upset, anxious, happy, and even horny? and they all sound different. sooo how about something where Viktor has to try to learn between the different purrs through trial and error? Can be canonverse or an au!! thank you!!!_

Viktor never pays much attention to rumors, so when he heard that Katsuki Yuuri purrs more often than usual, he forgot about it quickly -- until years later, when Viktor became Yuuri's coach and moved to live with him.

After that, he realized the truth. Yuuri doesn't just purr a lot -- he purrs _all the time._

The sound of it always affects Viktor more than it should. With Yuuri being an omega, Viktor has to be extra careful, especially when they share the _onsen_ together or are alone. Viktor is aware of his own feelings, but Yuuri has yet to give him a hint of whether or not he accepts them, so Viktor must remain cautious.

It doesn't help -- and in some ways, it really does help -- that Yuuri purrs all the time. Eating, jogging, playing with Makkachin, watching TV, sitting on his computer, bathing -- Yuuri _always_ purrs, a soft rumbling that most other people ignore, for betas have a hard time discerning the sound of a content omega. They hear it all the same, and it still affects them, though not as much as it does an alpha.

Viktor is an alpha, and so he always hears the noise.

The only time Yuuri does not purr is when he is on the ice, skating in practice or alone. That distinction leads Viktor to a greater understanding of the inner workings of Yuuri's mind.

That is -- the purring isn't a sign of _contentment._ Yuuri purrs no matter what emotion he is feeling, and Viktor only knows that Yuuri isn't always content through his skating. It takes sneaking out of Yuutopia and following Yuuri to Ice Castle, to watch him skate anxiously across the ice, to understand that -- because up to the moment Yuuri had disappeared, he had been purring softly, so softly that not even Yuri Plisetsky had noticed.

After that night, Viktor makes a special effort to pay closer attention to Yuuri's purrs.

In the mornings when Yuuri drags himself out of bed, clearly having stayed up too late, his purr is slow and deep, barely pausing as he chews his way mechanically through breakfast. Viktor realizes that Yuuri isn't a morning person at all, and he starts to scold Yuuri whenever he stays up too late.

Yuuri's purring hitches a few times whenever Viktor lectures him. Viktor realizes it must be a sign of his irritation. Yet Yuuri does what Viktor orders without complaint, perhaps folding easily to an alpha, but somehow Viktor doesn't believe so. Somehow, some way, he earned Katsuki Yuuri's respect.

It takes months to understand Yuuri's moods and emotions through his purring. Though Yuuri is adorably emotive when he is taken off guard, he never speaks about how he feels. He often hides himself from Viktor, falling back to purring as if the act is a defense mechanism. 

Perhaps it is. Yuuko once told him that Yuuri never had any friends during his school days, which makes Viktor think that he might have been withdrawn from his classmates, or perhaps even bullied. With Yuuri's anxiety as bad as it is, Viktor has no doubt believing that Yuuri used his purring to relax anyone who might have meant him harm.

Yet slowly, carefully, Viktor breaks through those mechanisms, when he learns to understand each purr and what it means.

Such as when Yuuri gets a letter from a filming company, requesting that he shoot a few commercials for the upcoming skating season. His purr is slow and soft when he opens the letter, but by the time he finishes, the sound is harder, a bit higher. Viktor notices the change, and he cannot help responding, plucking the letter from Yuuri's grasp and squinting at the script.

"They want me to be in a commercial," Yuuri says tonelessly. Viktor frowns, noting the company name and resolving to look it up later.

"Contractual obligation, I assume?"

Yuuri nods, his purr going a bit higher. "The JSF makes me do it every year. It's fine, I don't mind it."

Yet Viktor somehow doubts that. "I will go with you," he decides, and Yuuri blinks at him, startled. "I will handle the hotel and train fare, Yuuri. Do they want a certain program, or will anything do?"

"Um, anything is fine," Yuuri says, staring at him. The high, anxious note of his purr softens, deepening again, and Viktor's lips twitch in response. He has pleased Yuuri with his announcement.

"Then you should do _Stammi Vicino_ for them, or perhaps your program from last year's gala. Oh! If you do _Stammi Vicino_ , then we should get you a costume for it! I'll have to order one."

Yuuri's purr shifts a little back to anxiety. "Viktor, you don't have to..."

"Nonsense, Yuuri," Viktor says, smiling at him. The anxious note fades away, at the same time that Yuuri's face goes a bit pink. "As your coach, it is my duty and privilege to take care of you. Let me handle the more boring parts. You just focus on skating."

"Okay," Yuuri agrees softly. His purr is just as soft, warming Viktor, and he gives in to the urge to reach out and touch Yuuri, whose purring hitches then deepens with happiness.

The commercial filming goes well, and Viktor whisks Yuuri back to Yuutopia to practice. Yuuri turns his attention to his free skate, frowning over music and themes every night, until Viktor has to order him to bed. Despite living down the hall from Yuuri, Viktor never hears him purring through the walls, which is both a relief and a curse. If Yuuri is up late, worried over something, then how can Viktor know?

The night Yuuri receives his free skate music is one Viktor will never forget.

He wakes suddenly when someone climbs onto the bed, making Makkachin yelp. He relaxes as soon as he hears Yuuri's purr, sitting up in bed and barely noticing when Yuuri sits on his legs.

"Viktor, listen to this," Yuuri says, bright with excitement.

Viktor accepts the headphones, shivering a little as Yuuri's fingers touch his ears. The music starts, and a deeper shiver runs through him, as the song is unlike any he has heard -- and yet he finds it familiar all the same. The song is Yuuri, bright and beautiful and determined and scared and soft. Viktor listens, waking up more as the song continues, and he meets Yuuri's eyes, nodding with a wide smile.

It's perfect.

Viktor insists on listening to the whole song several times. Yuuri lets him, sitting perched on Viktor's lap as if he belongs there, and Viktor has to resist responding to that closeness. Yuuri seems oblivious to his own position, his purr softening into happiness as he watches Viktor's reactions to the song.

"Good. We'll start early tomorrow," Viktor says, taking out the headphones and setting them on the laptop's keyboard. Yuuri beams at him, shifting the laptop a little, then putting it down beside Makkachin.

"What jumps should we do? I have a few ideas, but --"

"Let's figure that out in the morning, Yuuri," Viktor says gently. Yuuri promptly turns red, his purr faltering as his embarrassment makes itself known. Viktor smiles at him, reaching up without thinking to rest his hands on Yuuri's hips, squeezing.

They have embraced before. Viktor is forever correcting Yuuri's posture during skating and his studio time. Yet touching Yuuri like this, hands in a more intimate position, makes them both realize how close they are, how Yuuri is all but straddling Viktor's lap. This close, Viktor can smell him, that sweet, clean scent of an omega freshly bathed.

His omega, if Yuuri will let him.

Yuuri's purr changes, and for once, Viktor cannot understand what it means. This purr is new, and Viktor leans a little closer to Yuuri's neck, wanting to listen to it, and to breathe in more of that pure scent.

Yuuri's hands land on his shoulders. "I should go," Yuuri stutters, yet he doesn't pull away. Viktor glances up to meet his eyes and finds Yuuri staring at him, face flushed and eyes dilated, bright with something that Viktor finally recognizes.

 _Oh._ That is what the purr means.

"Must you?" Viktor says softly, squeezing Yuuri's hips. If possible, Yuuri's blush gets worse, his purr hitching anxiously -- before something in him softens and relaxes.

"I should," Yuuri repeats, cheeks still red, but his bright gaze is no longer so unsettled. "We have to get up early tomorrow."

"Mm... I suppose we do," Viktor agrees, a little unhappy that they cannot continue this flirtation tonight. Yet he has never intended on pushing Yuuri too far, and despite _desiring_ him so badly, Viktor will always do what Yuuri wants. He squeezes Yuuri's hip, then gently pushes him away, unable to resist patting his backside and grinning at the way Yuuri's purr shifts to a squeak.

Yuuri quickly gathers his laptop and headphones, still beautifully red as he slides off the bed. "Um, good night, Viktor."

"Good night, Yuuri," Viktor returns, soft and full of the emotions he has not yet said. Perhaps Yuuri hears them, because his purr deepens again, stronger this time. He holds Viktor's gaze for a long moment, then nods and quietly leaves the room.

Viktor falls back against the pillows with a groan, breathing in the remnants of Yuuri's scent.

Yuuri will be purring in his dreams tonight, he is sure of it.


End file.
